A city councillor is urging action to improve a battered section of Broad Street- and he’s not mincing words.
“It’s disgusting. Frankly, it’s embarrassing,” Ward 3 councillor Andrew Stevens said.
Still, Stevens believes there’s great potential in the busy thoroughfare.
A six block stretch from 15th Avenue to Saskatchewan Drive has been marred by vandalism, vacancies, and fires at the popular Lang’s Café and Travelers building over the years.
“There have been and are a lot of really great businesses on Broad, and so for them to see their neighbours kind of leaving and having to rebuild after some fires, it’s been a really tough time,” Heritage Community Association Executive Director Shayna Stock admits. “That section of Broad Street is kind of the gateway to the Heritage neighbourhood. We would love to see it be more of a welcoming entry point to our neighbourhood- something that draws people in rather than scare them away.”
Stevens is now asking the city to look into the challenges facing the busy area.
“Why are we letting existing neighbourhoods crumble?” Stevens asked. “Will there be any money from the federal government, the province, or even the city to invest in existing neighbourhoods? You only have to walk around Heritage to figure out this isn’t something that’s just a Broad Street question. This is happening all around the community.”
Five questions submitted to city administration seek to find out how the city is protecting the commercial, residential, heritage, and historical significance of the street, what policies are preventing further deterioration, and what obstacles are facing potential investors.
Regina and District Chamber of Commerce CEO John Hopkins says a big part of that will be attracting new developers, residential, and commercial property owners. He believes there’s certainly hope for the area, but it will take creative solutions.
“It’s right next door to some of the highest assessed property not only in Regina, but in the province,” Hopkins explained. “There’s a lot of opportunity in the area, it’s just going to take some time, effort, and money to get it to where we want it to be.”
Stevens points to the revitalization of other neighbourhoods like Cathedral as a sign that a fix can be found.
“I don’t expect a quick fix, but if this is going to be 5, 10, 15, 20 year project, we have to get started,” Stevens added. “We have to have a vision. We have to understand what is preventing development and what is preventing investment from that area, and what can we do.”
He hopes to get some answers from the city by the end of the year.